The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-02-16
Food Authorizations.

When the cost of living lessons the
rate of mortality to certain extent in
creases. In this age of competition
adulteration is invited; to cheaper
every article in use, either for food or
other purposes, by corrupting or coun-
terfeiting it seems now one of the
great aims of man. Fraud is apparent
everywhere, and the people alone are
to blame for this state of things. The
children luxuriate in candies made of
glucose, gelatine, pipe clay, ETC.; while
the parents drink the sweepings of tea
warehouses, prepared with gum or rice
water and colored with Persian blue,
indigo, etc. Fine creamery butter
is made from lard the refuse of meat
shops, no matter how badly decom-
posed, are now worked over into the
appetizing bologna, and so it goes; in
deed, this is a progressive age" as
far as authorizations are concerned. AS
western writer has said: "The extent
and variety of food and drug adultera-
ton would seem incredible were it not
that the facts have been officially as
certained. There is scarcely an article
of food that can be bought with any as
surance of purity and wholesomeness.
Trade guarantees are worth nothing
If manufacturers and dealers have no
more principle than to persist inces-
sanity, under the cover of the myster-
les of their business, to adulterate and
poison provisions, drugs and delicacies,
there is but one redress left, and that
is summarily to break up the whole
business by stringent legislation. a
good beginning was made against
fraudulent butter in the shape of cleo
margarine; let the good work go on
till the market is thoroughly purged of
this class of frauds. The protection of
the life, health, property and happiness
of the people is the primary aim of
government. 1t should stand as wall
of fire between them and all invasions
from without or violence within, from
open assault or covert danger. 1t is
for this protection the people pay their
taxes and give their personal valor in
times of war Where does this pro-
tective function of the government
cease? Has it done all that should be
expected when it hurls back the in
vader, subjugates treason, puts a stop
to smuggling and counterfeiting, pun
ishes murderers, burglars and incen-
diaries? By no means. 1t should pun
ish the adulterators of meat and drink
as vigorously as robbers and murderers.
They are worse than the average MUIR
derer, who kills in the heat of passion,
for they kill eff thousands of innocent
people by the slow processes and
homeopathic doses of dirt, nastiness
and poison. from the sheer lust of gain.
The Borgias and others of that ac-
cursed race were actually less culpable.
They killed units, while the modern
vendors of deleterious compounds in
sidiously assail the health of a whole
community and shorten the average
duration of the human life. Better a
thousand times an occasional dose of
poison by Madame Brinvilliers than
vile, unwholesome admiXtures in our
sugar, syrup, coffee, tea, pickles,
canned fruit, lard, butter, oil, curry
and host of other articles in every
day use. 1t is not to be wondered at
that milkmen keep up with the times,
that they, too, resort to many tricks
and devices; they have their share of
the inventive genius which character
ICES all tradesmen. Now the purpose
of the writer is not by any means to
attempt to defend milkmen, but in all
fairness all sides should be considered.
The people are generally drivers of bar
gains.-Dr. Frank, IN Boston Herald.